On December 11, 2025, ABCUSA President Rev. Nikita G. McCalister and General Secretary Rev. Dr. Gina C. Jacobs-Strain published a letter, “Stronger Together.” Read the letter below or view a .pdf file here .
Stronger Together
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15
Dear American Baptist Family,
In 1982, as a denomination, we adopted the American Baptist Policy Statement on Immigration and Refugee Policy. An excerpt from that statement reads: “Because of the Biblical mandate that we be a caring and hospitable community, that we love our neighbors, that we establish justice and proclaim liberty; because we have a sense of Christian responsibility to serve human needs; because of our commitment to respect the human rights of all people; and because we are mainly a nation of immigrants we, the American Baptist Churches USA, shall: - Continue our historical role as an advocate of human rights for immigrants, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. - Continue our historical role in resettlement of refugees and in assisting immigrants. - Continue to partner with Church World Service and cooperate with other religious, volunteer and community agencies in the servicing and resettlement of refugees. - Continue to raise the consciousness of the Church and society regarding the needs of refugees and immigrants and their contribution to American society and the Biblical truth that we are all God’s children. - Engage in wholistic ministry to immigrants, refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and overstayed and undocumented persons in Department of Homeland Security and other detention facilities in the United States and in local communities.” The sentiments of this historic policy remind us that we are indeed stronger together. Its words reverberate and ring true even more urgently today as many of our beloved brothers and sisters—families, churches, and communities—are experiencing profound trauma amid the current political and cultural climate.
During this Advent season—a time when we await the coming of Christ’s light with hope, expectation, and perseverance—we hold each of you in prayer. We are deeply grateful for your steadfast witness as you share Christ’s love, offering comfort, peace, and hope to communities in pain. Your ministry is a true testimony to God’s grace at work among us.
We carry with you the weight of concern for refugees and immigrants who live with fear and isolation. We recognize the added strain upon you and your congregations as you continue to embody Christ’s call: to bring hope to the hopeless, comfort to the hurting, and peace in the midst of uncertainty. These days make it increasingly difficult to care for our neighbors in the ways our hearts long to, and yet you remain faithful.
We also affirm our shared commitment to justice as ABCUSA joins with several denominations in sacred space litigation to protect sacred space for worship—standing together for the rights and dignity of our congregations and communities.
This is a season unlike any we have ever known. Even so, we trust that God is still God—present, steadfast, and faithful, especially now. We give thanks for your prayers, your advocacy, and the ways you stand in the gap for the oppressed and the voiceless. Your commitment to protecting and nurturing generations does not go unnoticed. We are truly blessed by your witness, your service, and your outreach. As you continue to be the hands and feet of Christ in your communities, may you know that God’s love surrounds you and God’s light shines through you.
We remain in solidarity with those who are oppressed, dehumanized, and marginalized as we seek to live by the words of the Prophet Amos: “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” We also recall the words of one of our most influential American Baptists, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
We will continue to thank God for each of you and pray your strength in the Lord. We are not only “ United in Christ, Together in Mission ”—we are, now and always, stronger together.
In Christ’s peace and hope,
Rev. Nikita McCalister Rev. Dr. Gina C. Jacobs-Strain President General Secretary American Baptist Churches USA American Baptist Churches USA